Method and apparatus for jogging and stacking signatures



March 26, 1968 H. E. MILLS 3,374,902

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR JOGGING AND STACKING SIGNATURES Filed July 20, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

March 26, 1968 H. E. MILLS METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR JOGGING AND STACKING SIGNATURES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 20. 1964 INVENTOR. aw/w fir/ {Kr/f nrgyr.

A4 1 BY United States Patent Office Patented Mar. 26, 1968 3,374,902 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR JOGGING AND STACKING SIGNATURES Harvey E. Mills, Kokomo, Ind., assignor to The Cuneo Press, Inc., Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Filed July 20, 1964, Ser. No. 383,765 17 Claims. (Cl. 2146) This invention resides generally in the printing art, and relates particularly to a method and means for counting and stacking signatures.

Accordingly, a primary object of the invention is to provide a method of converting a continuous stream of signatures delivered from a folder or the like into stacked and jogged piles of signatures without the use of manual labor.

Still another object is to provide a method as above described which utilizes an intermittently operated conveying means, operation of which is terminated upon build-up of. a predetermined size pile of signatures in a collecting zone into which the intermittently operating conveyor discharges, and initiated upon clearance of a preceding pile from the collecting zone.

Another object is to provide an apparatus for converting a continuous stream of signatures delivered from a folder or the like into stacked and jogged piles of signatures automatically.

Yet a further object is to provide an apparatus as described above in which vacuum is employed to shingle the signatures to facilitate jogging and delivery into a collection means.

Yet a further object is to provide apparatus for converting a continuously moving stream of signatures into intermittently moving piles of signatures of a size suitable for further automatic handling.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent upon reading the following description of the invention.

The invention is illustrated more or less diagrammatically in the accompanying figures wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the invention, with portions broken away for clarity, illustrating its mode of operation; and

FIGURE 2 is a side view with parts omitted for clarity.

Like reference numerals will be used to refer to like parts throughout the following description of the figures.

A folder delivery is indicated generally at 10 in FIG- URES 1 and 2. A continuous stream of signatures is indicated at 11, the signatures being lapped one over the other, as best seen in FIGURE 2, only a relatively short distance apart. The spacing between adjacent leading edges of the successive signatures may be on the order of about a quarter of an inch, for example, but it will be understood that within the scope of the invention the spacing may be larger or smaller. The signatures are, of course, coming from a press. In this instance the folder delivery is shown as composed of a plurality of narrow belts 12, the head end of each of which is trained around head pulley or cylinder 13. The foregoing described folder delivery is merely exemplary, however, since the presence of the folder delivery is not essential to the invention.

A vacuum belt is indicated generally at 15. The belt consists, in this instance, of a flexible belt 16, which is trained around head and tail pulleys or rollers 17 and 18 respectively. A plurality of apertures 19 and 20 are formed in the belt. Apertures 19 are aligned with one another in a first row which extends longitudinally of the belt, and apertures 20 are similarly arranged in a second parallel row which extends longitudinally of the belt. A pair of vacuum bars are indicated at 21 and 22. Bar 21 underlies row 19 and bar 22 underlies row 20. Each bar consists, essentially, of a box {having a plurality of apertures in the top surface thereof and a vacuum connection 23. The vacuum bars are so spaced as to be in sliding engagement with the underside of the upper or conveying reach of the belt. The weight of signatures 24 on the belt presses the belt into intimate contact with the vacuum bars.

A signature separator is indicated generally at 28. The separator consists in this instance of a resilient band which is bent back upon itself and fastened, as by means 29, to a support 30. The fastening means 29 can be made rotatable so that the bearing pressure of flexible band 28 against the signatures can be varied. The separator serves to provide a positive force which further presses the signatures into intimate engagement with the upper side of vacuum bars 21 and 22 and acts as an abutment having a clearance just sufiicient to enable a pile of signatures of predetermined thickness to pass beneath it. As best seen in FIGURE 2 the separator functions to shingle the signatures; that is, the space between the leading edges of adjacent signatures has been increased from about A" in the folder delivery area to about 2 in the area to the left of the signature separator and the vacuum bars. In effect, the combination of the vacuum created forces which act to draw the signatures into contact with the belt and the restraining forces exerted by the separator combine to cause a relative sliding movement between adjacent signatures as they pass beneath the signature separator or shingling device 28. The vacuum belt 15 is operated at a higher rate of speed than the belts 12 of the folder delivery 10.

An accelerating belt consists in this instance of a plurality of narrow belts 33 trained about head and tail pulleys or rollers 34 and 35 respectively. Preferably the accelerating belt operates continuously, as does the folder delivery, but at a speed higher than the speed of the vacuum belt 15. The increase in speed can be visualized from FIGURE 2 wherein the distance between the two top signatures in the collecting zone 36 are seen to be considerably further apart than the distance between the signatures in the vacuum belt area 15. The speed of the accelerating belt 33 is sufficient to impart a velocity to each signature suificient to cause it to slide or sail outwardly to the extreme left end of the collecting zone, thereby preventing jam-up or curl-under of the'signatures as they enter the collecting zone.

Collecting zone 36 includes a pair of adjustable side jogger plates 37, 38, and an adjustable end plate 39. The side plates are shown, in this instance, as a solid wall construction but the end plate 39 is formed by a plurality of downwardly extending fingers or tongs 40. The bottom of the collecting zone is formed by a jogger table 41. which consists essentially of a plurality of fingers or tongs 42 carried by a vertically reciprocable cross-bar 43. Tongs 42 preferably terminate short of end plate 39, as best seen in FIGURE 2, but the tongs 42 are aligned with the slots formed between the vertical tongs 40. A plurality of guide bars are indicated at 56. These bars, which are tationary, maintain the tongs forming jogger table 42 in alignment.

The jogger table is raised and lowered by a lowering mechanism indicated generally at 44. The mechanism includes a belt 45 trained about upper and lower pulleys 46 and 47. A dog is indicated at 48, the dog being clamped to, and movable vertically with, the belt 45.

An actuating rod 49 passes through an aperture in dog 48, and terminates, at its ends, in suitable apertures in brackets 50, 51. Each of the brackets is welded to a circular sleeve 52, 53, and the cross-bar 43 is in turn welded to the sleeves. Av pair of vertical guide posts on which the sleeves slide are indicated at 54, 55. DOg 48, actuating bar 49, sleeves 43 and the jogger table structure reciprocates vertically along a lineal path Which is defined by the vertical guide posts 54, 55.

An indexing conveyor is indicated generally at 60. This conveyor consists of a plurality of narrow belts 61 which are trained about head and tail pulleys 62, 63. A backup plate is indicated at 64, the back-up plate serving as a support structure for the belt. That is, the piles of stacked signatures 65, 66 and 67 are of such concentrated weight that the back-up plate 64 is needed to prevent excess Sag of the conveyor belts.

Preferably the thickness of the belts 61 is greater than the thickness of the slats or tongs 42 which make up the jogger table. This enables the jogger table to be lowered to a position in which the pile of signatures is deposited on the indexing conveyor 60 and the contact between the pile and the jogger table thereby broken.

Preferably the indexing conveyor is intermittently operable so that once a pile of jogged and stacked signatures has been placed on it the pile may be moved Without internal disturbance to the left a distance Sufficient to clear the collecting zone 36. The jogger table in the meantime will remain in the down position until the just deposited pile has cleared the collecting zone.

A side jogger lay is indicated at 70 in the vacuum belt zone. This jogger functions to jog or align the signatures which have just been shingled by passing over the a uum bars and under the signature separator. The sides and end of the collecting zone may also function as jogger members so that the pile, when once deposited on indexing conveyor 60, will be precisely stacked, thereby avoiding the necessity of hand jogging.

An indexing switch for the jogger table is indicated generally at 72. The switch includes a feeler or actuator 73 so arranged as to be tripped by the build-up of signatures on the jogger table 42. When tripped, operation of vacuum belt 15 is shut down by any suitable actuating means, so that the flow of signatures past the shingler ceases. By means of a conventional time delay mechanism the jogger table 42 is maintained in the FIGURE 1 position for a brief period of time so that those Signatures in contact with the accelerating belt 33 will be fed into the collection zone before the jogger table is lowered. After a suitable time delay the pile is lowered onto the indexing conveyor. The indexing conveyor, which is stationary during lowering and placing of the pile onto it, then moves forward a distance sufiicient to clear the stacked pile from the collection zone. Once the pile moves to the left of end plate 39, jogger table 42 returns to its FIGURE 1 position. As it moves upwardly it strikes pile height indicator switch 74, which functions to terminate operation of the elevating mechanism. The indexing switch 72 and the pile height indicator switch 74 may be incorporated into any suitable electrical or pneumatic system, the details of which are unnecessary to an understanding of the I invention. The pile height indicator switch is adjustable so that the size of the pile formed may likewise be varied.

The use and operation of the invention is as follows:

A continuous stream of unshingled, unjogged signatures 11 are delivered from a folder delivery or other mechanism associated with a press. The press may be a rotary type high speed press or any suitable mechanism, the details of which are not important to an understanding of the invention.

As the signatures leave the first or delivery zone defined by folder delivery 10, they are moving at a given rate of speed. As they enter the second, or vacuum belt zone, the speed is increased, because vacuum belt 15 iS operated at a speed substantially greater than the speed of the folder delivery. As the signatures pass over vacuum bars 21 and 22 they are caused tohug the upper surface of belt 16 by virtue of the vacuum force created by the vacuum bars. In effect, the difference between atmospheric pressure and the effective vacuum in the vacuum bars exerts a downwardly directed force against the signatures which pushes'them into snug engagement with the belt. The shingler or signature separator 28 forms, With the upper surface of the belt, a passage of a thickness sufficient to permit only a given number of signatures to pass through. The signature separator, acting in con unction with the vacuum bars and the increased rate of speed of the vacuum belt 15, separates or shingles the signatures until the distance between adjacent signatures is on he order of the distanace indicated in FIGURE 2.

As the signatures leave the vacuum bar area they may be given a preliminary side jog by the side jogger lag 70.

Just prior to passing into the collecting zone defined by jogger table 42, side jogger plates 37 and 38 and end jogger plate 39, the signatures pass over an accelerating means 33. In this instance the accelerating means is a belt but it will be understood that any other conventional mechanism may be employed, such as roller means. Accelerating belt 33 is continuously operated at a speed substantially greater than the speed of the vacuum belt to avoid jam-up of signatures. The accelerating belt also causes the signatures to fly outwardly with a suflicient force to stack against jogger plate 39, rather than fold under and be doubled up under jogger table 42, as might be the case if each signature were only slowly fed over the edge of roller 34 or its equivalent.

Once the stack of signatures resting on jogger table 42 reaches a height sufficient to trip switch actuator 73, operation of vacuum belt 15 is terminated to prevent feed of signatures into the collection zone during such time as the jogger table is operating, and therefore unable to receive the signatures.

The vertically downward movement of the jogger table 42 is held off, however, until all signatures are passed through the accelerating zone 33. I

After a given time delay, the jogger table 42 is lowered into the cleared area indicated at on the indexing conveyor 60. Deposition of the stack of signatures onto the indexing conveyor actuates any convenient mechanism for moving indexing conveyor 60 to the left a distance sufficient to move the stacked pile of signatures out from beneath the collecting zone 36. Since the thickness of the jogger table fingers is less than the thickness of the individual belts 61 comprising the indexing conveyor, and since the jogger table fingers are meshed with the individual belts 61, there is no interference between the jogger fingers and the indexing conveyor.

As the jogger table moves upwardly in position to receive another stack of signatures, it trips pile-height indicator switch 74 which immediately, or within a predetermined time delay, brings the jogger table to a halt. The height of the pile will, of course, be dependent upon the position in which the jogger table actually comes to rest.

Although a preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described and several varieties discussed, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that other modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Accordingly, it is the intention that the scope of the invention not be limited by the scope of the foregoing exemplary description, but rather by the scope of the hereinafter appended claims when inter reted in light of the pertinent prior art.

I claim:

1. A method of forming stacked piles of signatures, said method including the steps of:

continuously moving a succession of lapped signatures in contact with a continuously moving supporting surface in a first zone to a second zone, moving the signatures through said second zone at a rate of speed which is greater than the maximum speed the signatures attained in the first Zone,

collecting the signatures in a collecting zone located downstream from the second zone,

thereafter, and substantially upon attainment of a desired size of batch of signatures in the collecting zone, terminating movement of signatures through the second zone for a period of time sufficient to clear the collection zone, and

upon removal of the batch of signatures from the collecting zone, reinstituting movement of signatures through the second zone.

2. The method of claim 1, further including the step of moving the signatures through a third zone located downstream from the first and second zones at a rate of speed at least equal to their maximum speed in the second zone for a period of time, after cessation of movement in the second zone, sufiicient to clear the second zone preparatory to removal of the signatures from the collecting zone.

3. The method of claim 2, further characterized in that the signatures are moved through the third zone at a rate of speed greater than their maximum rate of speed in the second zone.

4. The method of claim 1, further characterized by and including the step of jogging the signatures in the second zone.

5. The method of claim 1, further characterized by and including the step of jogging the signatures in the collecting zone.

6. The method of claim 1, further characterized in that the spacing between adjacent signatures in the second zone is increased by exposure of each signature to the action of a vacuum acting in a direction to urge the signature against its supporting surface in non-slipping re lations-hip therewith.

7. The method of claim 6, characterized in that the separation of each signature from its succeeding signature is further accomplished by applying, simultaneously with the vacuum exposure, a partial restraining force in a direction to urge each signature into engagement with the vacuum means.

8. The method of claim 1 further characterized in that the continuously moving support surface in the first zone moves at a substantially constant rate of speed.

9. Mechanism for converting a continuous stream of signatures into a stacked pile, such mechanism including, in combination:

means for shingling a continuous stream of signatures,

said shingling means comprising a moving surface upon which lay the signatures, said moving surface having a rate of speed greater than the rate of speed of the stream of preshingled signatures, and

vacuum means arranged to cause each signature in the stream to be urged against the moving surface to thereby facilitate separation of each signature in contact with the vacuum means from the immediately succeeding signature in the stream, and to prevent slippage between each signature and that portion of the moving surface with which it is in contact,

means for collecting the shingled signatures in a stack,

means, responsive to the collection of a predetermined amount of signatures, for terminating operation of the shingling means,

means for moving the collected stack to a removal zone, and

means for reinstituting operation of the shingling means upon movement of the stack of signatures to the removal zone.

10. The mechanism of claim 9 further characterized by and including means for jogging the signatures preparatory to collection in the stack.

11. The mechanism of claim 9 further characterized in that the moving surface is a belt, and

the vacuum means consists of apertures in the belt against which lay the signatures, said apertures being connected to a source of vacuum.

12. The mechanism of claim 11 further including means for exerting a positive force against the exposed side of the stream of signatures to thereby positively urge them into engagement with the vacuum means.

13. The mechanism of claim 9 further including accelerating means for increasing the speed of the pre viously shingled signatures prior to stacking.

14. The mechanism of claim 13 further characterized in that the accelerating means is a moving surface having a speed sufiicient to impart a velocity to the signatures passing thereover sufficient to cause said signatures to pile flat in the collecting zone.

15. The mechanism of claim 14 further characterized in that the moving surface includes a roller.

16. The mechanism of claim 14 further characterized in that the moving surface includes a belt.

17. The mechanism of claim 9 further characterized in that the removal Zone includes an intermittently operable removable conveyor, and means for initiating movement of the removal conveyor upon deposition of a stack of signatures thereon and for terminating movement after said stack has cleared the deposition area.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,177,460 10/1939 Renz 27176 2,659,498 11/1953 McCarthy 214-42 2,670,955 3/ -4 Strecker 27176 2,852,256 9/1958 Faulls et al 271-76 2,919,789 1/1960 Coakley 271-76 3,044,767 7/1962 Winkler et a1. 27169 3,124,059 3/1964 Labombarde 2146 3,231,100 1/1966 Faeber 214-6 GERALD M. FORLENZA, Primary Examiner.

A. I. MAKAY, Examiner.

J. E. OLDS, Assistant Examiner. 

9. MECHANISM FOR CONVERTING A CONTINUOUS STREAM OF SIGNATURE INTO A STACKED PILE, SUCH MECHANISM INCLUDING, IN COMBINATION: MEANS FOR SHINGLING A CONTINUOUS STREAM OF SIGNATURES, SAID SHINGLING MEANS COMPRISING A MOVING SURFACE UPON WHICH LAY THE SIGNATURES, SAID MOVING SURFACE HAVING A RATE OF SPEED GREATER THAN THE RATE OF SPEED OF THE STREAM OF PRESHINGLED SIGNATURES, AND VACUUM MEANS ARRANGED TO CAUSE EACH SIGNATURE IN THE STREAM TO BE URGED AGAINST THE MOVING SURFACE TO THEREBY FACILITATE SEPARATION OF EACH SIGNATURE IN CONTACT WITH THE VACUUM MEANS FROM THE IMMEDIATELY SUCCEEDING SIGNATURE IN THE STREAM, AND TO PREVENT SLIPPAGE BETWEEN EACH SIGNATURE AND THAT PORTION OF THE MOVING SURFACE WITH WHICH IT IS IN CONTACT, MEANS FOR COLLECTING THE SHINGLED SIGNATURES IN A STACK, MEANS, RESPONSIVE TO THE COLLECTION OF A PREDETERMINED AMOUNT OF SIGNATURES, FOR TERMINATING OPERATION OF THE SHINGLING MEANS, MEANS FOR MOVING THE COLLECTED STACK TO A REMOVAL ZONE, AND MEANS FOR REINSTITUTING OPERATION OF THE SHINGLING MEANS UPON MOVEMENT OF THE STACK OF SIGNATURES TO THE REMOVAL ZONE. 